Spartan-100: Luke
by EpsilonPanda
Summary: Luke finds himself in the world of Halo one day as Spartan-100, part of the SPARTAN II Project. He quickly makes friends with Spartan-023 and -103, Daisy and Ralph, and go through the lives as SPARTAN II's. *Note* This is a self-insert, so beware. Also, it is non-canonical (mainly with Daisy). M for violence (mainly).
1. Reach

Chapter 1 – Reach

* * *

September 13, 2014 | 1600 Hours | Cleveland, Ohio, Earth, Sol System

* * *

I stood facing Lake Erie, staring deep into the water. Kids behind me pulled their parents along, laughing and shouting. I picked up a small rock and stared at it. I raised my arm and chucked it out into the lake. I turned around as the small _splunk_ resonated from the lake, and started to walk home.

Have you ever thought that life is boring? I have. I always have. I would give anything for something interesting to happen. Something out of the blue, random, yada yada. If only life, specifically my life, was fun.

I walked into my family's apartment, seeing no one there like always. I tossed my keys on the end table, and headed to my room. I threw my coat over a chair and glided my finger across the power button on a game console. As the home page pulled up, I started up _Halo Wars_. I quickly skipped the splash arts and proceeded to the level I was on, plopping down onto the bed. I stretched and watched the cut scene as my eyelids felt heavy. I powered through two levels and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

July 12, 2519 | 0630 Hours | Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani System

* * *

I was startled into consciousness by a hand shaking my shoulder. I looked to my side, seeing a girl with short, blonde hair sitting there. "Hey, it's almost time for the drop," she told me.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Jeez, Luke, you've been completely out of it today. Is everything alright?"

"What?" I asked. As the girl opened her mouth, a man in a white military uniform walked through a small door. Everyone snapped to attention, and I quickly followed. _Seriously, what was going on?_

"Your mission today is to make it to the extraction point. There you will find your return Pelican. There will be room for all of you, besides one." He handed small pieces of a map to a girl and she handed them out to everyone in the ship. As the man who walked through the door, a boy went around, pointing out the window at certain landmarks. As he walked over to me and the girl that woke me up, a name and number was stitched across his chest: Samuel-034. I looked at the girl next to me and saw 023-Daisy across hers, and Luke-100 was on mine. Samuel stood next to me, and I turned around. He pointed at a river and glided his finger down it, upstream, to a lake. I nodded and he continued down the row of seats. As the ship slowed to a hover, the man in white shouted "100, you're up!"

I jumped out of my seat and saluted. I walked to the hangar door as it opened.

"Good luck out there, trainee," he told me. I saluted again before jumping off the ship. As I plummeted toward the ground, I felt around my back. There was a string with a metal ring hanging from my backpack. As the trees below grew closer, I yanked on the string. A parachute shot from the backpack and pulled me upright. I gently landed in the trees, disconnecting the parachute and falling to the ground. I slowly stood up, taking in the surroundings. I heard a small noise and immediately crouched. I pulled the knife attached to my leg and held it in front of me.

The rustling intensified and as it stopped for a brief second, I began to lunge. A figure emerged from the bush and tackled me, pinning my arms to the ground. It was the girl from before, Daisy. She was laughing as I struggled. She relaxed her grip and let me sit up. She sat down cross-legged in front of me. I sheathed my knife and sighed.

"So what was that all about earlier?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You weren't acting right. You were out of it, spacing out constantly. What's up with ya?"

"Well, I'm really not sure why I'm here," I told her. She looked at me quizzically. "I was sitting at home, falling asleep, and the next moment I'm here. I should be at home, waking up soon, not hiking through woods."

"Well, you've been here for two years, Luke," she said. "You've never acted like this for the whole time I've known you. Tell me, what was the date you last remember?"

"September 13, 2014," I replied. She stared at me and chuckled a bit.

"Silly, the year's 2519!" she laughed.

"It's true! It was 2014. A Saturday. I was hanging out by a lake in Cleveland, Ohio and walked home. When I fell asleep, I woke up here!"

She slowly stood up and smiled. "Well, I believe you," she said to me. "You've given me no reason to doubt you before, so, I'll take your word for it." I smiled.

"Thanks," I replied, standing up. "So, tell me about what's happening." We slowly walked through the woods, Daisy explaining everything to me.

"This is Planet Reach. All of the people in that Pelican were brought here at the age of five, including you. We were trained in combat and pushed to the limit. It was all created by Doctor Halsey, and the training was run by Chief Mendez, the man from before. We're part of the SPARTAN-II Project, a project to create a group of soldiers with super-human powers. We will be the protectors of Earth and her colonies, or that's how Halsey put it," she told me with a small smile on her face. I smiled to. Being next to her calmed me somehow.

An hour or two of walking passed and as the sun set, we arrived at the lake. The other children were already there, staring down at a man. The kid from before, Samuel, rushed over to us and asked for our map pieces. We both handed them to him and stood amongst the others.

Samuel-034 took three other trainees to scout out the area as we discussed the rules of this drill. One person was being left behind. Someone suggested to draw straws, but John shot it down immediately.

"No one's being left behind. I'll find a way," he told us, and started pacing. Kelly-087 had finished constructing the map of the pieces Mendez handed out. It was a day's hike to the extraction point, so we set out immediately.

As we neared the extraction point, the sun began to set. The sun was illuminated like fire as we peeked out of the tree line. In the field of green sat a dropship. John and Samuel discussed something as the others, including me, stayed behind. It was a day's hike to the extraction point, so we set out immediately.

As we neared the extraction point, the sun began to set. The sun was illuminated like fire as we peeked out of the tree line. In the field of green sat a dropship. John and Samuel discussed something as the others, including me, stayed behind. A minute later they came back.

John appointed positions for people. Kelly was a distraction, Samuel was our way in. "If they do anything besides help Sam," John said, slamming his fist into his open hand, "remember the wolves and moose." We all nodded and smiled. The wolves and the moose was a lesson that Deja retold a countless number of times. It was to show the way a pack hunts. We all picked up a rock and held it at the read as we neared the edge of the forest. Kelly ran out, luring the men away from the drop ship them running back to us. Next was Samuel. He limped out, his leg bloody, pretending like it was broken. A man walked over with a stun baton, raising it to strike when John launched a rock at him. It flew past his head, but they all turned to face us.

"Who's there?!" One of the men shouted. John nodded and we let the rocks fly. They pelted the six men, and the fell to the ground. Their arms shot over their head, trying to shield them. John and Kelly ran out, finishing off the men and taking their stun batons. He waved for us come to the drop ship, and ran in. A minute later, he out, counting us as we ran it. He nodded when Samuel jumped into the drop ship.

"All right, Deja, get us out of here," John said, and the drop ship rose into the sky. Daisy clapped my on the back.

"Good job out there," she said.

"Ditto," I replied. "Another day of drills done," I sighed.

"Yup," she nodded, smiling.

* * *

We flooded out of the drop ship as it landed, and formed a line. In front of us stood Chief Mendez. We saluted and he sighed. "Spartan John-117, please come with me. The rest of you may return to the barracks." We saluted again and walked away as John followed Mendez. I slowly sat down on the cot with 100 written on it. I sighed and laid my head on the pillow. As I closed my eyes, I heard Daisy's voice again.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I replied. "What's up?"

She slowly sat next to me. "Will you be okay?" she asked me.

"Of course. I'll be fine. Don't you worry," I told her, giving a thumbs up.

"Still, you say that you're new here, and I'm worried about you with the daily routines," she said.

"I'll get the hang of it," I told her. She smiled and nodded, walking off to her cot.

* * *

In the next few years, I grew to enjoy this life, and became accustomed to it.


	2. Contact

Chapter 2 - Contact

* * *

August 29, 2520 | 0600 Hours | On Board the Trade Carrier _Lumen_ | Unknown System

* * *

I crouched behind a set of crates, peering into the darkness. Across from me, Daisy was in the same position. I heard footsteps and saw the faint outline of a man approaching us. I slowly raised my fist and I heard the other's guns click. I held up three fingers and began to count down. As I held up one finger, I heard Daisy growl.

"Enough stalling!" She yelled, standing out from cover and spaying the man with MA2B ammunition. She ran toward our destination and I sighed.

"023, get back here!" I yelled, and she stuck her tongue out at me. A smile broke out on our faces and I laughed. I sprinted behind Daisy and we slid into an elevator followed by Ralph-105. We stood there as the elevator music played.

Our mission was to retrieve the drug lord of this sector and bring him to the Carrier _Iroquois_.

The elevator pinged and the doors slid open. I leveled my gun with my chest and glanced around the doorway. It was clear. We followed the only path to a small room. We gathered around the door, Daisy and me on either side, 105 and 122 in the front. I looked at the two in the front and they nodded. Daisy stood in front of the door and slammed her foot into it. The door flew off its hinges and revealed an office. A man with an unshaven face sat behind the desk, guarded by four guards. The rest of us rushed in and leveled our guns with their chests. They did the same and the trigger fingers started to contract. I had the first guard a chest full of shotgun shells, and 122 shot the head of the man behind that with a pistol. 103 had kicked the first man on his side down and had his MA2B assault rifle at the second's throat. I saw the man reach behind him and pull a dagger out, swinging for 103's side.

"103, careful!" I shouted, but before I finished, the man's throat was full of MA2B bullets. We all turned toward the man. He was in a business suit, staring at us with grey eyes.

"Give up, pathetic excuse for a human," Daisy said. He chuckled and reached under his desk.

"Over my dead body!" He yelled, raising a pistol. Daisy did the same with her MA2B and pulled a trigger. Her assault rifle unleashed a small burst, but Daisy was knocked backwards. I rushed to her body and saw bullets in her left shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound, puddling on the ground.

"Get him secured! I have 023!" 122 and 103 nodded and rushed the dead body of the drug lord and stuffed him in a body bag. I put the nozzle of a biofoam canister into her shoulder and pushed the lid. The foam oozed out inside of the wound and as it stiffened, I picked her up. We rushed into the elevator and into the hanger, full of men. I radioed Mendez to pick us up and within the minute he was there. We had taken cover behind a barricade and a firefight quickly started. I peeked out from the barricade, a bullet whizzing past my cheek, and unloaded a pistol clip into three people's chests.

"Out of ammo!" 103 shouted, and I quickly handed him a clip. As he pulled the trigger, I saw four men drop down. I ran out from behind the barricade at the five remaining men and threw my pistol behind me.

I got into a CQC stance and the five stared at me. One reached out for me with the butt of his gun and I quickly grabbed his arm. I planted my foot into his side and threw him over my side. The next went for a kick, and I quickly threw him into another person. The last to dropped their guns and got into a CQC stance. They went in for the kill as quick as one could, but I saw their movements. I stepped backwards and they lost their balance through the weight of their punches. I stepped behind one of them and elbowed his shoulder blade. I kicked his legs out from underneath him and he slammed into the ground. I turned to the last person, who went for a jab. I leaned my gut back and slammed my hands into his head at the same time, causing him to be dazed. I landed a punch to his nose and felt the bones crunch under my knuckles. He collapsed the ground, blood seeping through his hands, now covering his shattered nose.

Outside the hangar, Mendez had arrived. I quickly grabbed Daisy's unconscious body and rushed to the pelican entering the hangar. I jumped into the back of it, followed by the others. I tapped the back of the pilot's chamber and the back door closed. The pelican flew up into space, taking us to the large carrier in the distance.

The _Iroquois._

* * *

I sat in the mess hall _Iroquois_ when there was a message over the intercom. "Spartan 100, please report to the bridge." I stood up and walked down the large halls of the Carrier. I quickly arrived at the bridge and as I filed into the line made up of my squad members, I saluted. Mendez stood in front of us, his hands behind his back.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your extraordinary work today," he said.

"Thank you, Sir!" We replied.

"That is all. Expect another mission in the next few days. Dismissed," he told us. We saluted again and made our way to the mess hall. As we walked down the hallway, I looked over at Daisy. A covered her shoulder, and he arm sat in a sling.

"Hey, how's your shoulder?" I asked her when we were alone.

"It's doing fine. The docs said it was due to the biofoam you put in that I didn't bleed out. Thanks," she said.

"No problem. Just doing what I was taught," I replied. She chuckled and we continued to the mess hall to join the others.

* * *

I was sitting in the nearly empty mess hall when Daisy sat down next to me.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I replied. "I have a question. Could you tell me about what I was like before 2519?"

She nodded. "Of course. You were this silent person. You never really talked, only if someone asked you a question. Even then it was just a simple one or two word answer. You were completely different during squad training. From the start, Ralph, you, and I were in a squad together. You were tactical, one of the smartest in the program. You always made plans leading to victory, and were always right about enemy movements," she said. "You amazed me. You were special." We sat there in silence for a moment, Daisy looking down at her hands.

"I was?" I asked. "I've never felt special."

"To me, out of everyone, you were the most special child here. We're all special in our own way; I'm special in CQC, according to Mendez, John's a leader, and Ralph's better with everything. Even though we're all unique and are all great at what we can do, you are the best! You can plan, command, and carry out battles in your head! Couldn't you tell during that mission?!"

"I could a little bit," I told her. "I guess I was able to plan what everyone was going to do, except that drug lord," I said, looking at her shoulder.

"You were still great! All I can do is beat everyone up," she said, looking at her flattened knuckles.

"But that's what you do. That's who you are. I could never pummel people like you," I said, putting a hand on her good shoulder. She looked up and smiled after a while.

"I guess you're right," she said. I quickly finished the meal the cook served me and we walked out of the mess hall.

* * *

Five years had passed since that mission. It was our first outside of the Epsilon Eridani system. We were on a missions around Harvest. I was on the bridge, standing next to the leader of this mission and Daisy. We were to sneak into a small rebel facility and plant some explosives. The facility was the group's base of operations, so taking it down would subsequently stop further actions of the group, or that's what Mendez told us.

As we slowly descended, preparing to enter the orbit of Harvest, there was a shaking. The lights on the bridge shuttered and the screens had "WARNING SYSTEM FAILURE" pasted all over them.

"What the hell is going on?!" there commanding officer shouted at his crew.

"I don't know, sir. Everything just went haywire," a man replied

There was a purple glow to the bridge and a small circle appeared

Uh, Sir?" I asked.

"What is it, 100?" the officer asked. I simply pointed at the window and his grew emotionless. The purple circle was now the size of a small carrier, and there were tiny ships, the size of Hornets. Followed by those ships was on twice the size of the_ Iroquois_. "My God," he muttered. "Men, prepare to engage! Ready the MAC cannons. Soldiers and Spartans, get ready to board!"

Daisy and I saluted and we rushed down to the hangar. Daisy prepped the rest of the squad and we stood there at the ready. 122 and another had M7 submachine guns, Ralph had an M6 Magnum, and Daisy carried her trusty MA2B. Finally. I held my M90A shotgun close to my chest.

We heard the intercom click and instinctively stared up at it. Instead of the voice of the officer, a strange, rough voice echoed through the hangar. A jumbled group of words were shouted, then a sentence, in calm and complete English, was, "Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we see their instrument."

There was nothing but silence in the hangar until the first shot. A blue beam shot and pinged against the hull of the ship. It shook furiously and warning lights shone.

"What's going on?" 122 shouted.

"It's the Covenant!" I answered. The intercom clicked and the panicked voice of the commanding officer shouted.

"The ship has been breached. All soldiers and crew, get to the hangar and escape!" he yelled. There were gunshots and silence. Soldiers already in the hangar piled onto Pelicans, and my crew did too. Plasma shot sounds grew louder, and my heart began to race. It wasn't even a month after the first contact with the Covenant and they were already back around Harvest.

"100, get us out of here!" 122 shouted. I saw the hangar doors open and crew members run in. Plasma shots sped past their heads.

Two shots hit the crew members, picking off one for each shot. The remaining crew ran straight for our Pelican.

"No! I'm getting them out of here!" I told him. I jumped up out of the pilot seat and ran to the back of the Pelican.

"Oy! Get in here!" I yelled. The crew members changed their course and dashed into the Pelican, however, losing one more in the process. Peeked around the hull of it saw the three figures stomping toward us. They were Sangheili, or as we called them, "Elites". They wielded the weapons that the UNSC classified as "Plasma Repeaters", spraying the whole hangar with plasma. I walked out, dodging the onslaught of fire and walked up to one Elite.

I pressed my shotgun up against the forward-most one and pulled the trigger. There was a purple static around the Elite, and he roared. It raised its Plasma Repeater, and I saw its trigger finger twitch. I pushed the arm that was level with my face out of the way and slammed my left fist into its face. The Elite was pushed back into the metal wall of the hangar, left unbreathing. The other two stared at me, slowly raising their repeaters. They were at either side of my head, pushing in. I waited a second and kicked off the ground. I shot backwards, hitting the door of the Pelican and sidestepped in.

I walked to the front where 023 sat. I clicked off my com and looked at her.

"Let's get out of here," I told her. She nodded and we ascended. I walked into the back of the Pelican and sat in the seat. I stared at one of the crew members as the sight outside of front window changed to space.

A fleet of Covenant forces had engaged our small team of UNSC Carriers. Daisy dodged the plasma shots directed at our Pelican and made her way to Harvest. The front of the Pelican was covered in flames as we entered the atmosphere. The Pelican shot through the thick clouds and slammed into the ground. I jumped out of the Pelican, readying my shotgun. I waved the others out, and walked away from the malfunctioning Pelican. A few steps, and the Pelican erupted into a green blast. My eyes shot up toward the sky. A lone Phantom rocketed toward us, green plasma blasts exploding near our feet.

It halted to a stop inches from the ground, and a squad of Elites jumped off. They turned toward us and ran.

"Ralph, get the workers out of here!" I yelled.

"Roger!" He grabbed the workers and rushed away from us, toward the city in the distance. I turned back around and saw the Elites near us. I raised the shotgun, pulling the trigger. The one closest to us flew backwards and lay there, not moving. I was knocked onto my back from the recoil and sat there, gasping for breath.

Daisy rushed toward the next one, punching it in the face. The purple static appeared again, and said rammed her fist into its stomach. The Elite roared and Daisy finished it off with a kick to the face. The third and final one jumped at Daisy, reaching his hand out for her. She jumped back and the Elite turned to face me. It grabbed me by my throat and stared into my eyes.

"You," it started. "You are thorn in the prophet's side. You are the reason we cannot accomplish the prophet's goal. I will kill you. It will be a slow, painful death. And I will set your cold, dead head at the prophet's –"

An energy sword erupted from the Elite's throat. It gasped for air, and its grip loosened. Its body crumpled to the ground, purple blood gushing from the burning wound. Daisy stood there, her hands on the energy sword, her eyes wide. She dropped the sword and hugged me.

"T-thanks," I told her. She sobbed into my shoulder, and I saw Ralph walking toward us.

"You all okay?" he asked. I nodded, patting Daisy's back. We stood there as UNSC Carrier scrap fell from space. Daisy, Ralph, and I might have survived, but the Covenant won. "I've established a connection to FLEETCOM," Ralph told me, motioning to the city. "Forces will be picking us up in a few."

"Got it," I told him. Daisy let go of me and wiped tears away from her eyes. "You okay?" I asked her.

"Yup," she nodded, "just a little shaken up." Her hand slipped into mine and we walked toward the city, seeing a Pelican descend.

* * *

Later that year, on April 9, our final 'test', as Halsey called it, began.

I was on Reach, sitting on a medical bed. The nurse that had given me an anesthetic had walked out, only to be replaced by Halsey.

"Hey, Luke," she said, sitting down on the bed.

"Hello, ma'am," I replied.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine. The anesthetic is kicking in."

"That's good." She walked out and left me to my thoughts. A minute later, I was taken into a large room with one window. A small bed was sitting in the middle of the room, and the nurse helped me into it. The lid slowly closed on top of me and as I felt needles enter my arms and legs, I slipped out of consciousness.


	3. Lost

Chapter 3 - Lost

* * *

March 30, 2525 | 0000 Hours | On Board the UNSC Carrier _Atlas_ | In Route to the Lambda Serpentis System

* * *

We all stood there at attention, the 33 of us Spartans that survived. Canisters holding the ashes of fallen comrades and friends were shot out into the endless void. "Dismissed," Mendez said, walking off toward the bridge. I stood there as my fellow Spartans all walked out of the missile launch bay. The whole ship was silent, no one knew what to say. I slowly walked out of the launch bay and to the mess hall.

As I arrived, I noticed that the mess hall was surprisingly quiet. It was usually the busiest place besides the missile launch bay, and there was no body there. I slowly sat down and sighed. I sat there, feeling like a part of me died.

The chair next to me rattled and I turned to see Daisy sitting down. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," I replied. She glanced around and saw no one in the mess hall, not even cooks.

"How do you feel about these augmentations? Tell me the truth," she asked. I glanced around myself and nodded. Daisy was the one person I could trust.

"I hate them," I told her. "They're risky and uncalled for. They've killed an unnecessary number of us." Daisy nodded and smiled.

"Listen, Ralph and I, along with a couple of other people, art planning to rebel. It'll happen next week, on a Tuesday. You in?" Ralph was another person that I had "met" when I first arrived here, as Daisy told me.

"Of course," I replied. She shook my hand and smiled.

* * *

March 37. 2525 | 2300 Hours | Planet Reach | Epsilon Eridani System

* * *

I stood there among four other Spartans in a hallway of a lab on Reach.

"We're not going to be your toys anymore!" Daisy said, holding a pistol at the familiar face of Doctor Halsey. Halsey just stared at us, weapons in our hands, unemotionally. She show no care for us or our rebellion. Daisy shoved the man she had been holding hostage out of the way and walked past her. The rest of us ran toward the exit, following Daisy. We ducked into some woods and sat there as the guards' shouts died down. We walked for a couple of minutes, probably a mile away, and lit a small fire. Ralph and the other two Spartans, Joseph-122 and Naomi-010, quickly fell asleep after, leaving Daisy and I awake.

"Hey, tell me more about yourself," Daisy said to me. I stared at her. "Like what was your childhood like?"

"Well, I lived back in Cleveland on Earth and lived a boring life. I went to school, then home, over and over every day. All I wanted was an interesting and fun life. My parents were never home. They were figure heads for large industries, always away at meetings or at the office doing on paperwork," I told her. "That's pretty much it. I don't have many great memories, and that's where this comes in." I smiled and she chuckled. "What about you?"

"Oh, nothing special. Kind of like yours, but on Sargasso," she told me. We sat there in silence for a while until Daisy started to doze off. I walked her over to a tree and lay her down, letting her sleep. As I stared at her calm, sleeping face, I felt myself become drowsy. I slowly rested my head against a tree and closed my eyes.

I was pushed into consciousness by Daisy. The others were awake, stretching and staring down at me. I stood up and stretch and we quickly head out. We found a small Pelican making a short stop before heading to the UNSC compound. We stayed in the tree lines, seeing four men around the ship. I glanced over at Daisy and she nodded. I jumped out of the tree line and rushed at one of the men. They raised small M6G Magnums, pointing them at our head. I saw the first man's finger twitch and I ducked, the bullet whizzing past my head. I ran right up to the man and slammed my fist into his gut, slamming him in the side of the Pelican. I saw Daisy tackle the man to the right of me and beat him into unconsciousness. Ralph and Joseph rushed forward and took out the man to the left.

I rushed around the Pelican, seeing the last person standing with a MA2B assault rifle. I stood at ready and as the man shot, I sidestepped, closing the gap between us. I slammed my fist into his hand, hearing and feeling the bones crack underneath the pressure. The gun dropped to the ground and I kicked it away. I kicked the man's leg from underneath him and punched his chest, the sound of cracking bones ringing out and the man screaming, then passing out. We all rushed into the Pelican and I jumped into the pilot seat. I looked back, seeing everyone in the Pelican, and lifted off, passing through the atmosphere and past the _Atlas_.

Daisy sat in the seat next to me and smiled.

* * *

I was the last one on the Pelican, along with Daisy. We slowly landed on a small dock in Cleveland and Daisy shut the Pelican's power down. We walked out of the back of it and stood there.

"Well, I guess this is it," she sighed.

"Yup. Looks like it is," I replied. We stood there in silence, until Daisy wrapped her arms around me.

"I'll see you around," she whispered.

"See you," I replied, putting my arms around her. We stood embracing for a while, no sound other than the small waves hitting the dock. She took her arms from around me and ruffled up my hair. She got into the pelican with one last wave and took off.

I stood on the dock, staring out into Lake Erie. It reminded me of my last day here. I turned around, seeing the now advanced city. Skyscrapers towered over me and expressways looped around them. I smiled. I was glad to be back.

As I started off toward the location of my family's apartment, a siren rang out. My eyes immediately shot to the sky and I saw a purple vehicle falling from the sky, green orbs rocketing from it.

The Covenant.

I rushed toward the center of the city, dodging the rubble that was falling. In the center, I had found that a group of marines had already set up a camp and barricaded a small area around a fountain. I jumped the barricade, and a soldier stopped me.

"What's your name, soldier?!" he asked. I saluted, seeing that he was a Petty Officer.

"Spartan-100, Luke, sir!" I replied. He stared down at the dog tags around my neck and smiled.

"Well, a Spartan, huh? You could be of some help," he chuckled. He tossed me a MA2B and I took my position on the front line. I waited, hearing no gunshots or footsteps, and just stood there, my assault rifle at the ready. Some small figures closed in, and I let short bursts fire. The figures quickly dropped dead. A couple seconds later, a whole squad of Covenant soldiers sprinted toward us. I threw my weapon down and jumped over the barricade, rushing at the soldiers. I took out my knife and stabbed the first Elite in the face. I flipped my knife around and grabbed the Elite's energy sword. I leapt at the next, quickly taking him down with a slash from the energy sword. I heard the noise of an energy sword being activated and threw my knife to my left, the knife planting itself in the Elite's face. I took out the knife and turned to the last Elite, who was standing among Grunts and Jackals. He raised his hand and his energy sword activated. He Elite stepped forward and chuckled.

I stood at the ready, my knife in my left hand, the energy sword in my right. The Elite lunged and I dodged. I dug my knife into his wrist and his retracted his arm. I jumped back, waiting for him to make another move. Close combat situations was my strong point in the UNSC training. The Elite jumped toward my, bringing his sword down. I side stepped and his sword clashed with the ground. I kicked one its legs, causing it to fall on its face. I put a foot on his back and raised the sword. I brought it down on his neck, and heard cheering from the base. I stared at the helmet that it had on. An Elite Zealot. I turned toward the base, seeing the Grunt and Jackals closing in.

"You guys got a shotgun?" I asked. I saw the familiar shape of a M90A Shotgun flying toward me. I caught it and turned to face the small Covenant troops. I rushed into the crowd, letting shot fly, mowing through the enemies.

* * *

When it was all over, I kicked the body of a fallen Grunt. It went flying into a small, dilapidated building. I turned to face the UNSC troops and they saluted. I smiled, and held my hand up. Behind them, a Pelican landed. A woman in a white lab coat stepped out and walked toward me.

"Hello, Luke," she said.

"Doctor Halsey!" I said, saluting.

"Extraordinary work you did," she said. I thanked her. "However, you need to return to Reach. I'm sorry." I felt an impact on the side of my head and quickly passed out.

I woke up in a medical bay. I slowly sat up and felt a throbbing pain in the side of my head. I stepped out of the bed and walked outside. Standing at the door way was Daisy and Ralph. Daisy jumped at me and hugged me.

"Hey," Ralph said.

"Hey," I replied. Doctor Halsey approached us, and Daisy let go of me.

"Hello, Spartans," she said. "We will be doing some training soon. Meet me in the briefing room in five."

"Yes, ma'am!" we replied. Daisy and I started out of the building, but Ralph stood behind.

"What's wrong, Ralph? You heard Halsey," Daisy asked.

"The truth is, I'm dropping out," he replied. We stood there, not knowing what to say.

"What do you mean?!" Daisy yelled.

He stared down at his hands, his eyes wide open. "I killed my flash clone," he said, shaking. "He was sick, and I killed him! Halsey told me that I was being discharged. That I needed my psychological condition to return to normal."

Daisy walked up and hugged him. "You'll be fine, but what'll happen with your augmentations?"

"I don't know. I guess I really can't change them. I'll just have to live with the augments. Hell, maybe I'll join the military in a while." He looked over at me.

I reached out to him. "You'll be fine. I know you're not the type of person who'll let this get in your way."

"Thanks, man," he said, shaking my hand. Daisy let go of him and walked out of the building.

"Well, see ya," I said. He nodded and I walked out of the room, catching up with Daisy.

As I matched my stride with hers, I saw her wipe away a tear. We slowly walked into the briefing room.

* * *

The other Spartans were standing with us as Halsey and Mendez entered the room.

"Spartans, I have called you here today to show you a new invention. They stepped to the side and revealed a suit of armor. "The MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V. A suit made in increase your strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and your body's durability."

We were quickly dismissed after that short presentation.

A month later, I was called to the medical bays. Halsey stood there with a Mark V armor. The armor had the EOD Variant. I walked forward as they dressed me in an armored body suit. I stepped into a large machine and it whirred to life. The pieces of armor with placed on me and snapped into place. They placed the helmet on me and a blue HUD appeared. The machine died down and I stepped forward. My leg pulled itself, making me stumble.

"Take it slow, Spartan," Halsey said, helping me balance. "The suit enhances your performance, so think about the movement, and the suit will perform it." As she let go of my arms, I pictured my legs moving, and they did. I smiled. "We'll send you on a few mock missions, then some real ones for you to get used to the suit. You are dismissed, Spartan." I saluted and as she walked out of the room. I walked out, seeing Daisy with her red CQB suit on. I heard her chuckle. We both nodded and walked to the training grounds.

* * *

December 2, 2526 | 0100 Hours | Above a colonized planet | Eridani System

* * *

I sat in the Pelican with Daisy. We had gotten a replacement for Ralph to fill our squad requirements: Naomi-010.

Outside the Pelican, a Covenant supercarrier hovered above the planet. A man knocked on the door separating the hangar and the cockpit. We stood up and the door slid open. We jumped out of the Pelican, heading straight for the supercarrier.

"This mission is simple," I remember Mendez telling us. "You are to break into the CSO-class supercarrier stationed above recently colonized planet of Arivia. When you infiltrate the supercarrier, make your way to the bridge. There, you will eliminate any and all forces."

The three of us dropped down through its shields and into the metallic insides of the ship. I pulled up a map given to us by Mendez and marked the location. I quickly sent it to Naomi and Daisy, showing the location, and the nodded. We snuck through the curving insides of the supercarrier and into the wide, spacey bridge.

Four Elites turned to look at us. Two were Elite Field Marshals, the other two were minors. The Field Marshals dismissed the minors and drew energy swords.

"So you are the demon who took the first Forerunner artifact from us," one grumbled. I said nothing. "Well, you look like a nice challenge." He kicked an energy sword toward me and started to circle me.

I picked up the energy sword and flipped it on. The Elite jumped at me, swinging vertically. I blocked it and kicked him back. I jumped this time, landing a strike close to his head. The energy swords clashed together, static launching from the ends, sparks flying around us. The Elite spun, hitting the side of my blade with his, and my blade started to fade. I launched myself off his back and looked down at the sword. The Elite stood there, out of breath, staring at me. I ran at him, and swiped at his chest. As my sword inched closer to his abdomen, he jumped behind me. I turned around, seeing him next to Daisy. Naomi and I both rushed toward her, and I made it to her. The Elite was swinging his energy sword down toward Daisy's head when I pushed her out of the way. As she fell to the ground and looked at me, I felt something puncture my arm.

It felt my bicep burn, and then, heard a _plump._ I looked over at my right arm and fell to the ground. In front of the Elite's feet was my lower arm. The Elite kicked it out of the way, and turned to face me. He raised his energy sword, going in for the final blow, but was stopped. The energy sword I was using swept through his legs. Daisy stood behind him, staring at the back of its head. He turned his head, wide eyed, to see her. She raised the energy sword straight up, and brought it down on his head.

She turned to face the other one. She jumped at it, throwing away the empty energy sword, screaming as her face slammed into the Elite's. Its energy sword slid out of its hand as Daisy pounded its head with her fists, the sound of bone echoing through the Covenant Bridge.

She sat there on top of the Elite, its face smashed into a bloody pulp. He sighed and turned toward me. Naomi was contacting the Pelican pilot and FLEETCOM. Daisy rushed over to me and bandaged my bleeding arm up.

"Why did you do that?!" she yelled, slapping the side of my visor. I shrugged. "Idiot!" she shouted. I could hear the sobbing through the com. As she patched up my arm, she hugged me. "Thanks, idiot," she whispered. I nodded, and heard troops rushing through the ship. A group of four soldiers threw me onto a stretcher and rushed me into the Pelican. As the Pelican took off, I saw Daisy above me. I quickly lost consciousness as the supercarrier exploded behind us.

* * *

I sat there in the medical bay on Reach, a heart-rate monitor beeping in my ear. I trying to get to sleep when the doors slid open and Halsey walked in.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I could be better," raising my right arm.

"Well, at least we did something," she said, chuckling. "You wanted to be active, so we fixed you up pretty well. Anyway, get some rest. I'll check in one you tomorrow." I nodded and she headed for the door. "Oh, and one last thing. Someone's here to see you." Halsey nodded to a person outside the door, and Daisy ran in. She kneeled next to my bed, tears falling from her eyes.

I couldn't make out anything between her sobs and yells, but I smiled anyway. "Listen, Daisy," I said, putting my hand on her cheek, staring into her blue eyes, "I'm fine."

Her hands slid into mine, but it shocked her. Her eyes slowly turned to look at my arm, and saw what had happened. When I arrived back on Reach, I had been immediately brought to the medical bay. I had told Halsey and Daisy that I wanted to stay in duty, so they quickly prepared something for me. The missing lower arm had been replaced with a metallic frame. I rose it, staring it at myself.

"How does it feel?"

"Surprisingly good," I told her. "And light." She traced the outline with her hands. Halsey walked in, and behind Daisy.

"023, it's time to get back to your Barracks," she said, clearing her throat.

"Oh, right! Thank you for letting me see him, Doctor." She bowed to Halsey and turned to me. "See you soon," she said with a smile. I nodded and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

December 31, 2528 | 2300 Hours | Planet Harvest, Alpha Base | Epsilon Indi System

* * *

I sat behind the barricades along with a group of marines and two other Spartans. I chucked a frag into the large groups of Covenant troops and heard the explosion. Bodies went flying and I smiled. I set my MA2B on the sand back and began to unload the clip into the Covies. We weren't making any ground, but we were holding the ground we had previously gained. I took cover once again and sighed.

The two of Spartans and I had been positioned at Alpha Base for nearly a year, and we barely gained any ground. Naomi-010 and Daisy were both selected for this mission along with me, and we were quickly dropped here. We had barely any injuries or deaths in the past year. If we kept holding our ground, reinforcements should arrive at any time.

I chuckled another grenade into the ever expanding Covenant squad. I cursed under my breath and saw Daisy stand up. "I'm going out there," she said.

"Wait!" I yelled. "I should go out there!"

"I've made the decision to go and fight them head on. There's no stopping me," she said. She sprinted out into the group before I could stop her, and I quickly jumped up. I saw here fighting the Elites and Jackals hand-to-hand, showing no sign of stopping. I took my position at one end of the sandbags and began to shoot at the squad. As my clip emptied, I chuckled a little. I stood up, jumping over the barricade and rushed next to Daisy, holding a shotgun to my side. I raised it as an Elite ran at me and pulled the trigger, unloading a shell directly into his skull. I turned to the right, slamming my first into a Jackal's shield, making it fade. My foot connected to its head, snapping it backwards. I mowed through the forces, until there were only about thirty left. Daisy rushed into the remaining forces and I followed. As she fought them, I assessed the situation. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an Elite raise a small handgun with purple crystals on them. The crystals fired from the handgun and shot toward Daisy.

Something took a hold of me and I jumped toward her, knocking her out of the way. The crystals connected to my side, and dug themselves into my skin. I lay there, blood seeping from the wound. Daisy stared down at me and the wound, and I saw her fist tighten. She sprinted toward the Elite with the gun and kicked his chest. She grabbed the gun out of his hand, shattering the Elite's hand into pieces. She put the gun to his head a fired the crystals shooting through his head, hitting the other forces. She through the gun to the ground and stepped on it, smashing it. The leapt at the other Covies and moved through them, smashing their heads together or beating them to a bloody pulp.

The moon was high in the sky when she finished her rampage, and she slowly crawled over to me. She took off my helmet and stared into my eyes. She took off her and I saw tears streaming down her cheeks, falling on my armor. I put my hand on her cheek and smiled, having a cold feeling come over my body. She put her hand on the wound. I saw her take a vial out of her armor and put it into the wound. A stinging sensation overcame the area where the crystals entered and I felt foam expand inside me. Biofoam. I looked into her eyes one last time before I fell unconscious.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself in a medical bay. I sat up, seeing Daisy sitting next to me.

"You're awake!" she yelled.

"I guess so," I chuckled. I looked around, not recognizing the medical bay. "Where are we?"

"The _Spirit of Fire_," she replied. "Halsey and Mendez reassigned us here. It was mainly for you to recover and they needed some help onboard." I looked down and saw a bandage covering my side.

"Thanks for helping me on Harvest," I said.

"No problem. You save my life before, so it was only fair that I saved you. I couldn't just leave you there to die." A man walked through the medical bay doors and smiled.

"Aah, so you're Spartan-100, right? Luke?" he asked. I nodded. She put his hound out.

"Captain James Cutter. Nice to meet you," he said.

"Ditto, sir," I replied.

"Relax for a while. It'll be a long journey," he chuckled. I saluted and he walked out of the room. Daisy's hand moved up and down my prosthetic arm. She slowly lay her head on the pillow next to mine, still sitting in her chair. I brushed the hair out of her face, and saw her smile. I lay back along with her, and slowly slip into sleep.

* * *

Nothing much happened aboard the _Spirit of Fire._ Daisy was sent down to help the ground troops and I was kept on the ship to assist in research or off and help around the ship. As the Harvest Campaign finished up, the _Spirit of Fire _headed to Arcadia and Shield 0459, a Forerunner Shield Installation.

Sergeant Forge had just finished setting of the FTL drive, destroying Shield 0459. The _Spirit of Fire_ barely escaped the supernova-like blast, but were without an FTL drive, left to drift in space. I sat in the silent mess hall, Daisy next to me. Nothing had happened in a week.

Static came over the intercom, then a click.

"Everyone, we preparing to land!" Cutter shouted. Daisy and I smiled and rushed to the bridge, saluting. In the distance, there was a large planet. It was oddly familiar. I stared at the shape of the land masses, seeing the familiar continent of North America. I smiled. Earth.

"Without an FTL drive, it'll be a rough landing. We'll be heading for water, so everyone enter Cryosleep. The crew rushed into the rear of the _Spirit of Fire_, and into the Cryo-chamber room. We all entered the tubes and as the cases slowly closed, a mist was ejected. I saw Cutter and the rest of the crew enter the room, entering the pods, as I slipped out of consciousness.


	4. Earth

Chapter 4 – Earth

* * *

_A face appeared in front of me, the face of an Elite. It held an Energy Sword level with my chest. His arm reached back and the sword shot through me. Behind the Elite, Daisy was laying on the ground, blood seeping from her stomach._

* * *

January 4th, 2531 | 0800 Hours | Planet Earth? | Sol System?

* * *

I shot awake. I stared into the bright light above me, panting and sweating. I sat up and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I looked around seeing multiple beds lined up next to and across from me. I heard a chair move and looked to my right. Sitting next to me, nodding off to sleep, was Daisy. She heard me move the blankets and her eyes opened.

"Luke, you're awake!" she said with a big smile.

"Yeah. What happened?" I asked. I looked down and saw I was still in my armor.

"Well, we kind of crashed. We had to pull you out of your cryo-pod." There was a creaking from a door and I turned around to see Cutter walking through the door. I jumped out of bed and saluted, feeling a pain in my side.

"At ease, Spartan," he told me. "How're you two feeling?"

"Fine," Daisy said.

"Okay," I replied.

"Take it easy," he told us. "However, there is people that want to see you."

"Well, let's go," I said. Cutter led Daisy and me to a large room. In it, a man in a yellow combat suit stood facing a window. In front of him, a man with blond hair and a brown overcoat stood staring out into the ocean.

"Mr. Miller?" Cutter said, his voice echoing throughout the room.

"Aah, Captain Cutter. Nice to see you again. These are the two soldiers, I presume?" the blonde haired man asked.

"Yes, sir," Cutter answered. Daisy and I saluted. Cutter walked out of the room as Miller raised his hand.

"Now, your Captain has told me all about this 'SPARTAN II Project' and I have to say that I am quite impressed. "Now, tell me your names." Daisy started.

"I'm Daisy, Spartan-023, Sir!" she answer. Miller looked at me.

"I'm Luke, Spartan-100!" I replied.

"Cutter gave me the files on you two," he told us. "You have a great track record. Oh, this hear is Big Boss." The man in the yellow combat suit turned around. He had a scruffy beard and wild, brown hair. He wore a bandana, and an eye-patch covered his right eye. He nodded, and we nodded back. "With your record, we'll be sending you, Luke, on missions with him. Daisy, you'll be working with our regular soldiers." We saluted. "Well, you're dismissed. Nice to meet you two."

We nodded and walked off. As we walked down the hall, Daisy sighed.

"I want to get this armor off!" she said, hitting her chest. "It's so hot in itchy!"

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Too bad this world's not developed," she said, kicking the ground. She turned to look at me, and stood up. "What's wrong? You've been quiet the whole time we've been here.

"It's stupid, don't worry about it."

"No, tell me."

"Well, I know this planet. It's Earth," I told her. She stopped walking and stared at me.

"Your planet?" she whispered.

I nodded. "I'm not sure when in the history of Earth we are, but we'll find out," I answered, turning around and walking toward the barracks. I fell back on the cot that had my name nailed to the side of it, across from Daisy's. The sun disappeared over the horizon and the small lights in the ceiling flickered on.

* * *

For the next couple of weeks, I was stuck on the janitorial staff of "Mother Base". I mainly just helped around with a few members of the Militaires Sans Frontieres, or the MSF, cleaning up the base or prepping others for missions. For the four weeks I was working around the base, Daisy was out on missions with others of the MSF.

One day I was mopping the floors of the mess hall when Cutter came in.

"Luke, Miller wants to see you," he told me. I saluted and walked to the room where we first met Miller. I stood there with Daisy and Big Boss as Miller turned around.

"Hello, you three," he said. We saluted. "This will be your first mission as a trio. You will scout out a region where you will be heading in the future. This is your point of departure," Miller stated, pulling up a large map, and area around a large river circled in yellow.

* * *

I crouched behind a truck as Big Boss scouted out the area. He waved us forward, lowering the binoculars from his eyes. Daisy and I quickly rushed to where he lay, and looked out over the cliff. Five men walked between the storage crates, and three more stood on separate towers, looking out over everything.

"Any ideas, Mister Tactician?" Daisy asked.

I traced a makeshift map in the ground, and pointed to one tower. "Daisy, you'll take care of this guy, and, Big Boss, you'll take care of this one," I said, pointing to another tower. I pointed to the tower in the center of the small complex. "I'll get this guy, then we'll take out the men on the ground." They both nodded and headed off to their positions. I weaved my way through the crates, avoiding the line of sight of the men, making my way to the ladder of the main tower. I saw the other two guards fall down, hitting the ground with a light thud, and I jumped up off the ladder, putting the guard on my tower in a lateral headlock. The man passed out, and I slowly lay him down on the tower. I jumped off the tower, and positioned myself against a shipping crate. I saw Daisy sneaking around one, and looked over to me. I nodded, and she went in for a punch. Her punch landed, knocking the guard out, and distracting my target. As he walked over to the passed out body, I slowly walked up behind in. I put him in a headlock and he passed out. I turned around, seeing snake right behind me, the three other guards all on the ground behind him.

"Good work," I told him. He nodded and walked into the large building near the river. Out of the window above us, he through us each a small tranquilizer.

"Use that if you have to," he said.

The three of us slowly walked into the jungle, hardly making a noise. I stopped in my path, and I saw Daisy stop too.

"What's wrong?" Big Boss grumbled.

"Don't you hear that?" Daisy asked.

"Daisy, he's not a Spartan," I told her. She nodded.

"Right, forget he's not like the others."

A small rumbling grew louder, and a shadow hovered over us. The rumbling was awfully familiar. It wasn't UNSC forces like the _Spirit of Fire_ or a Pelican, but something different. Something I had heard many times before. A purple figure jumped down, landing in front of Big Boss.

I threw him back, seeing the green plasma start charging, and took the full force of the shot in my prosthetic arm. I stepped forward, punching the tall, alien figure square in the face. He was launched backwards through the trees and into the river. "What are those?!" Big Boss asked.

"The Covenant," I told him. I quickly flipped on my Coms and contacted Cutter. "Captain Cutter?" I asked.

"Yes, Luke? What is it?" the voice of Cutter crackled through the Coms.

"The Covenant are here," I told him.

"Get back to the departure point!" he yelled. I led the other two back to where we started, and a small ship flew in, picking us up.

* * *

I stood in the briefing room, watching the live feed from across the world as the Covenant's dropships flew down in, firing green blasts of plasma, Elites and Grunts, and the occasional Hunter, dropping down into the streets of cities.

A small square flew up on screen of a familiar city. A Banshee flew down and crashed into large buildings, the purple shell of the ship landing in a large lake.

"Bring that one up larger!" I yelled, pointing to the newest live feed. It was enlarged, and I realized the town. I cursed under my breath.

"So the Covenant are here," Cutter, sighed.

"But, intelligence life outside of Earth?" Miller asked. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Cutter and I replied. Cutter continued. "The Covenant is a group of alien species that wants to activate rings known as the "Halo" rings to achieve ascension. These rings will destroy all life in the galaxy, and the Covenant has been invading planets to find these rings' locations."

"And know their on Earth," Miller mumbled said. "Cutter, sir, assemble a squad of your Spartans. They will join a couple of my men to try and stop them. We'll send squads to New York, Chicago, and Cleveland."

"Yes, sir!" Cutter said, saluting, and walked out of the briefing room.

"Miller, sir, I have a question," I said, as Daisy started out the room. She stopped in her tracks.

"What's the question?" he asked, still staring at the live feeds.

"What's the year?"

"1974."


	5. Invasion

Chapter 5 – Invasion

* * *

February 5th, 1974 | 1300 Hours | Skies above Cleveland | Planet Earth | Sol System

* * *

I sat in a small Helicopter along with Daisy and five other men. As it slowly descended over the burning, snowy city of Cleveland, I felt Daisy's hand on my arm. I looked up at her. Her helmet was still off, sitting beside her.

"What's going to happen?" she asked.

"What do you mean? We'll do the same as we usually do. We'll get in, take care of the Covenant, and get out," I told her.

"But we don't have much UNSC gear or anything to contest the Covenant-"

"We're Spartans, remember. We're made to protect Earth and her colonies." I put my hand on her shoulder, smiling. She nodded, smiling and sliding her helmet on. As the helicopter landed on the pavement near Lake Erie, I jumped out. I raised my M90A as the others rushed out.

"Try to barricade the streets! We'll pick off the Covenant as they come at us!" I yelled. The soldiers ran toward the streets, green plasma shots speeding past their heads. I ran forward as they put up the barricades, Daisy right behind me. "Daisy, remember, treat these Covenant forces like you did on Harvest!"

"Roger!" she yelled, and ran in front of me, landing on an Elite's face. As she raised her left leg to kick the side of another Elite, I slid underneath it, pointing the shotgun directly against an Elite's chest. As I pulled the trigger, he flew backwards, and I rushed forward through the bodies on the ground to the next Elite. I pulled out a knife, throwing it into his face, the knife landing in the center of its mouth. As the Elite fell to the ground, I pulled the knife out of its mouth, slashing the throat of another. I saw one with an Energy Sword rushed at me, put I quickly pulled the trigger of the shotgun, hitting him in the head.

I turned around, and saw Daisy finishing the last Elite. The men behind her had the barricades set up and we started to walk back to them. As we neared the barricade, an Elite's yell echoed through the street. A group of Elites and Grunts. Daisy and I ducked behind the barricades and peeked out with our weapons readied.

* * *

The firefight continued for hours on end, only slowing down near sunset. Only two other men were still alive, the other two were shot down by plasma repeaters. As the last Grunt fell to its side, we cheered. No banshees fell from the sky and no carriers appeared. It was over.

"Finally," Daisy sighed, dropping her assault rifle to her side. As she fell to her knees, smiling, I heard light footsteps.

I turned around, seeing a flash of blue, and quickly raised my arm in defense. I found myself face to face with a Special Operations Elite, his active camouflage fading. His Energy Sword sparked against my prosthetic arm, and I heard him growl.

"So you're the 'One-armed Demon'?" he grumbled. I kicked him backwards.

"Well, let's answer that, shall we?" I yelled. I jumped toward him, landing a punch in his gut, knocking him up and backwards. I rushed at him as he stood up, landing a quick kick to his jaw, snapping it out of place. He slowly stood up, popping his jaw back into place. There was a gust of wind and a shadow covered us. A super carrier floated above us, Covenant forces flooding out of top. I heard Big Boss run up beside me.

"I just got here, what happened?!" he yelled, looking up.

"Something horrible," I told him, walking back as Elite was lifted up into the supercarrier.

* * *

"They're going to glass the planet!" I yelled, Cutter walking to the front of the briefing room.

"I understand that, but we can't do anything right now," he said to me, staring out into the sea.

"I don't think you understand!" I replied, stepping forward. Big Boss held out his arm, stopping me.

"Don't worry about it," he grumbled. I cursed under my breath and walked off into the barracks. I fell back onto my cot and sighed. I heard the cot next to mine creak and saw Daisy looking over me.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"The planet's going to be glassed and Cutter won't do anything about it," I grumbled.

"So why don't_ we_ do something about it?" she asked after a few seconds. I turned over and looked into her eyes. "You've been my only friend since Ralph left, and I don't want to lose you to that damn covenant. We should strike that carrier, bring it down."

A sat there for a moment, staring into her deep blue eyes. "You're right," I told her. "Talk to anyone else, see if they'll join us. We'll depart later tonight around 2300 hours."

"On it!" she said with a smile, running out of the room. I laid back down and closed my eyes.

* * *

I stood outside of mother base, on a small hangar underneath it. I was in a black coat, covering my red armor. I let out a deep breath, my heat forming mist in the air.

"We're ready," I heard Daisy say over the com. I looked behind me and saw a group of at least twenty people standing behind her.

"Good. Let's get this started," I said. I ran up the stairs to the landing platform, where a group of men stood. I ran up, kicking one in the side, throwing him off the edge of the platform. Daisy threw the other one off the other side of the platform. I jumped into the helicopter, and ten of the others piled in. I saw Daisy running over to the other landing platform, hijacking the other helicopter, her squad piling in.

"Let's go!" I yelled through the com, and we took off.

A couple hours passed as we neared Cleveland. A feeling of worry grew in my stomach about the upcoming fight. Around twenty soldiers against a whole Covenant fleet. Was this really going to work?

I shoved aside that feeling, and muttered to myself, "Spartans never die." I slowly brought the helicopter down on the top of the supercarrier, and jumped out. "Move in!" I ordered, and we jumped into the center of the carrier.

The curved, purple and grey halls were empty, the only sound being our footsteps. I saw Daisy inch up beside me, her assault rifle leveled with her chest. I raised my hand, peering around the corner, looking toward the large "briefing room". I motioned the squad forward, and led them down the hall. The small path led into a large, open room, thousands of Covenant troops below us. A voice boomed over the speaker, a voice of an Elite.

"We will bring this planet down to nothing! This is just the path to our ascension! Destroy every living thing you can see!"

The troops cheered, and I gritted my teeth. I unhooked a grenade from my belt, but felt Daisy's hand on mine.

"Not yet!" she mouthed. I still held the grenade, staring down into the large mass of the forces. Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes stood there, cheering and raising their weapons. I saw an Elite step forward. An Honor Guard. A headdress of gold and red nearly grazed the top of the hallway he was in. He raised an energy sword and opened his mouth.

"Let us destroy this planet!" he shouted. The room erupted with agreement, and I saw Daisy nod. I took the pin out of the grenade, and tossed it into the crowd. An explosion covered the main portion of the crowd, taking out mode of the Jackals and Brutes. The remaining forces turned to face us, and we all stood up.

"Ready, men?" I asked.

"Ready!" they all yelled in unison.

"Let's do this!" I shouted, sliding down the side of the room. I landed, and let my shotgun shells fly. I mowed through the Grunts and Jackals, quickly making my way to the center of the room. I looked around, seeing the Brutes making their way toward me. I put my shotgun on my back, and landed a quick punch to a Brute's head. He fell backwards, and I ripped the Gravity Hammer out of his hands.

"Thank you," I muttered, kicking his unconscious body out of the way. I jumped toward the group of Brutes to my right, bringing the hammer down in the middle of their group. Their bodies flew outwards, hitting the walls of the room, the sound of bones cracking echoing off the metal. I turned, hitting one in the side of his neck, and heard his body hit the opposite end of the room. I heard a Brute yell and rush at me. I turned around and brought the hammer upwards, hitting his gut, and sent him flying straight up. I stood there, among the Brute bodies, as his fell from the ceiling behind me.

Daisy and the others rushed up beside me. "Targets eliminated."

"Not all of them," I told her, pointing up to the hallway. The Honor Guard Elite, joined by another, stood there, his Energy Sword drawn. They jumped down, landing in front of us. They slowly walked around us, and made their strike. Their slashed and jabs were a blur of blue light, but none touched us. When they stopped their attack and stood there, staring at us, the bodies of the twenty MSF soldiers fell to the ground.

"So, two Spartans," one muttered.

"This should be a good battle," the other grumbled.

"Daisy, take one, I'll take the other!" I yelled.

"Got it!" she replied. I jumped to one, grabbing the other Energy Sword attached to the Elite's thigh. I quickly activated it, blocking a thrust from one. I landed a quick, upwards slash on his side, cutting into his armor. He jumped back, and quickly sprinted at me. Our blades collided filling the room with a blue glow. I pushed off his Energy Sword and retaliated. I kicked him off balance, and went for his leg. My blade made contact, and cut through his shield. The blade entered his shin, barely piercing the armor before he kicked my arm away. He went for a slash to my left, and I held up my arm. As the blade collided with the metal, I went for a thrust to his gut. I landed it, feeling my blade enter his skin. As I pushed the blade deeper, I smiled.

"It's over," I told him, starting to pull my blade up toward his head. As he coughed up purpled blood, he chuckled.

"Not quite," he replied.

Daisy's scream echoed through the room.


	6. Death

Chapter 6 – Death

* * *

February 6th, 1974 | 0030 Hours | Covenant Super Carrier above Cleveland | Planet Earth | Sol System

* * *

Daisy's scream echoed through the room.

I rushed toward the sound of her scream, and saw her laying on the floor, clutching her stomach. Blood pooled under her, and she moaned with pain. I felt a fire grow in me, something that I never experienced. I felt my hand tighten around the energy sword, and I rushed at the Elite that Daisy was fighting. I brought the sword to his neck, feeling my arms pull it through his flesh. He turned to look at me, as his head fell backwards, and his body collapsed forward. I turned to my Elite and jumped at him.

"I'm going to murder you all!" I yelled at him. I brought my sword down toward his head, but his arm grabbed mine. He twisted his wrist, and felt my arm snap, but I felt no pain, just anger. I tried to swing at his head again, but the sword slipped out of my hand, hitting the wall of the room. The Elite's hand wrapped around my neck and lifted me up.

"How about this? I'll murder _you_?" he asked with a chuckled. I felt his sword shoot through my stomach. My body felt cold and my vision turned blurry. He took his sword our and dropped me to the ground. As his footsteps died down, I slid toward Daisy.

"Daisy?" I asked. She looked up at me. Blood fell from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were misty.

"L-Luke?" she asked. "Is that you?" she reached her hand out to me, and I took it.

"I'm here, don't worry," I said. I slid off my helmet, and took of hers. I set them next to each other.

"It is you," she said with a smile. "Listen, I've been wanting to tell you this, and I hate myself for waiting this long." She stared into my eyes, and put her hand on my cheek. "I love you, Luke. You're amazing, kind, and brave. The exact opposite of me. I love you with all my heart! But now I can't act on it," she said, a tear falling from her eye.

"Daisy, I actually feel the same," I told her. I wrapped my hand around hers.

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up.

"Yeah," I replied, coughing a little. "Since I found myself here on that Pelican, I felt some kind of connection to you. I fell that you're the only person in the world that cares about me. I just love you," I told her. She smiled and inched closer. Our lips lightly touched and she smiled.

"Well, this is the end," she said, the pool of our blood mixing growing larger.

"Yup," I replied. She smiled.

"How 'bout we go out with a bang?" she asked, bringing out a small, blue core. She pulled a grenade out and put a finger through the pin. I did the same, nodding. I helped her sit up, and sat up myself. We leaned against the walls, our arms wrapped around each other.

"Count of three?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied. I slowly counted to three, and pulled the pin. Three seconds passed, and my vision was filled with a white light.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

I sat there on a couch, Daisy leaning back on my chest. Were in a small house, overlooking a lake. I sighed and Daisy turned around.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Not much, just thinking about stuff," I told her.

"Like life?" she asked.

"Yeah," I told her. "I kind of miss those days."

"But isn't this fun?" she asked. "We can just lounge around all day."

"It is fun, but I miss doing things. The afterlife is kind of boring," I replied.

"You're right about that part," she said. She pecked my lips and returned to leaning back on my chest.

The morning sunlight shone through the windows of our little cottage, and the birds chirped loudly outside. I have been in this 'afterlife' for about a week now, along with daisy. Slowly, our memories returned to us. I remembered the end, and what happened on "Earth". They were strange memories, like a short, shaky image, only lasting for a couple of seconds, but I could tell I enjoyed that life somewhat.

Daisy and I were free to do whatever we wanted here. We were the only ones in this life. It only makes since that we are here together, given that we died together. The difference between our lives here and in the past world was that our SPARTAN augmentations were gone. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Daisy quickly shot off the couch, smiling and grabbing my arm. She started out the door, but turned around.

"What's the rush?" I asked.

"Silly, there is none!" she laughed. I joined her laughter, and we walked into the world that we now lived in. A world frozen in time.


	8. Epilogue II

Epilogue II

* * *

February 7th, 1974 | 0600 Hours | Mother Base, the Caribbean | Planet Earth | Sol System |

* * *

I stood overlooking the ocean, the flames crackling behind me. I looked into the rising sun, slowly exhaling.

"Big Boss, sir, are you ready?" a man asked. I clicked my cigarette to my side, and crushed it under my foot. I turned around the man placed two helmets in my hands. I looked down at the familiar visors, feeling a pain grow in my stomach. I turned back around and placed them on the platform of mother base. Two MSF soldiers walk up next to me and placed two candles both sides of the helmets. I slowly saluted, and the soldiers behind me followed. A blonde man in a brown coat slowly walked up next to me.

"So, they're really gone," he said. I nodded. I felt his hand on his shoulder and heard him sigh. "What are we going to do now?"

I stared at the small slab of stone that read: "In Living Memory of Spartans Luke-100 and Daisy-028." I crouched and slowly scribbled, "Spartans Never Die" at the bottom. I slowly lit another cigarette and sighed.

"We're taking back our planet."


	9. Writer's Note

Writer's Note

* * *

Hey there! First off, thanks for reading. Second off, I want to thank revan193 for the suggestion. I really enjoyed working on this story, despite it being relatively short. When the idea was suggested, I wanted to create a small story on an OC Spartan, mixed in with the stories of some lesser known Halo characters, like Daisy-023. Anyway, even though it took quite a bit of research, I enjoyed putting the characters of Halo, like the Spartan augmentations, into the MGS world, even for the brief, three chapters. I mainly used the MGS world for a kind of "final battle" to protect the main character's home town.

Anyway, I will be making quite a few updates to the story in the future, if needed (most likely they will be needed), just to flesh out the story and characters in places I need to. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story. Suggestions are always welcome. Thanks for reading.

* * *

~EpsilonPanda


End file.
